Fire off a perfect gift

Last week, I mentioned some possible Christmas gift ideas for the sportfishing angler. I also spent some time explaining a technicality in the fishing regulations regarding some popular icefishing lures and their legality for use in Alaska. This week, I thought we’d get into the firearms and hunting side of potential gift ideas.

The first gift is the obvious one — a new firearm. Many kids began their shooting experiences with a .22-caliber rifle found under the Christmas tree. Spouses have given their significant others a handgun oriented toward personal defense. I gave my wife a Smith & Wesson 9mm handgun several years ago as a surprise present. She has learned to shoot it pretty well, but I think she likes her Glock .40-caliber pistol better.

An article I downloaded off the MSNBC website recently states that almost 130,000 background checks for gun purchases were made this past Black Friday, breaking the previous record from 2008 by nearly a third. Apparently, a few folks are giving firearms as Christmas presents. Under federal law, buying a firearm for someone so they can avoid the mandatory background check is illegal. This is called a strawman purchase. However, buying a firearm and giving it as a gift to a person legally able to own a firearm has never been a problem. Some states forbid buying a firearm for another person for any reason.

The practice of buying a “beginner’s firearm” for a son or daughter is a longstanding tradition in the gun culture and generally is not a problem. In my case, I bought my wife’s pistol under my FFL dealer license and performed the background check for the transfer of the firearm using her information. Yes, as a dealer I had to do a background check before I could legally transfer the gun to my wife. Don’t you just love government bureaucracy?

The simplest way to give a firearm would be a gift certificate for the value of the gun from your local gun shop. The recipient can then pick up the firearm and all appropriate laws concerning ownership and transfer of the gun can be followed. A box of ammunition is another welcome gift idea, especially if the recipient already has a favorite firearm. A gift certificate for some shooting time at the local range or shotgun facility would also be an appreciated gift.

The firearms and hunting arenas are full of gadgets that can become gifts. There’s an item called The Gun Tool, which unfolds to reveal a universal shotgun choke tube wrench, a gun pin punch, various sizes and types of screwdrivers and socket wrenches, a scope windage/elevation adjuster and a knife blade. This is on my wish list and will be kept in my range bag. It’s available in Valley gun shops.

For shotgunners, a new range vest might be a welcome present. A good set of hearing protectors is a must for any firearms enthusiast. I use the electronic ear muffs — the shot sound level is muffled while the sound level of spoken words is enhanced for better hearing of range commands. I have permanent hearing damage from shooting as a kid without hearing protection. This happened long before the potential for hearing damage from shooting was recognized as a concern. Eye protection (shooting glasses) is also mandatory in the event of a pierced primer or a ruptured cartridge and makes a thoughtful gift as well.

For hunters, a set of good quality game meat bags is a useful gift. I would heartily recommend an electronic range finder for the bowhunter or the gun hunter in your family. A GPS unit, along with a good compass with declination adjustment capacity, will help them find their way around their favorite hunting areas and back home. The SPOT satellite system just might save a life during a wilderness trip gone sour and is worth checking into. Local gun and hunting equipment retailers stock a variety of these and other outdoor electronic items and can better explain their uses, functions and pricing.

Your hunter might enjoy pursuing black bears using bait. A good tree stand provides the best way to watch the bait barrel. There are several types of tree stands on the market: climbing, preset or ladder, in either one- or two-person designs.

Using a full body harness while in these stands is the only safe way to hunt. Gadgets to hoist your gear up into the stand and then store it while there are readily available. Since you can’t be in the stand 24/7, setting up a trail camera will give you an idea if any bears have found and are using your bait site in your absence. Again, all these items and more related to bear baiting are available locally. If you’re unsure of which model tree stand, body harness or trail camera your hunter would like, a gift certificate covers the bases.

If bow hunting or muzzleloader hunting is your nimrod’s passion, there are gadgets galore to enhance the use of either of these hunting tools. Again, if the hints from your favorite outdoors person have been less than specific as to the item wanted, a gift certificate to the appropriate store will solve the dilemma.

Another great place to shop for that perfect gun or hunting gift is at a gun show. Starting tomorrow and running through Sunday, the Grouse Ridge Rangers are sponsoring a gun and crafts show at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center in Wasilla. There will be around 100 tables of gun and gun-related items, and 30 tables of various crafts available for sale. Admission is $5 for adults. Stop in and see if that perfect Christmas gift is just waiting for your attention.

Howard Delo is a retired fisheries biologist with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. You can leave him a message by emailing sports@frontiersman.com.